Thursday, October 6, 2011

Jaw dropping, oh my god amazingly a great read. Honestly, I did not want Bev Pettersen’s book Jockeys and Jewels to end. If you don’t love horses and know anything about them you will come to love them by the end of this story. I confess to being an avid horse lover and one thing that stood out for me if how obvious it is that Pettersen knows her way around horses, barns, tracks and the horse industry.

The reader is introduced from the get go to Kurt MacKinnon, who is smart, wary and a harden cop—he’s basically seen all the bad in the world but what totally grabbed me was how Pettersen makes you come to love this undercover guy. We learn more about his character through the treatment of his horses and that weaves its own magic in the story. Julie West is a struggling apprentice jockey and longs to be taken serious in a field dominated by men. When Kurt’s ex-partner gets killed this sets Kurt and Julie on a collision course. Let’s just say sparks fly once they meet.

The character development in this book was a real page turner. I loved the sexual tension which came off as totally real between Kurt and Julie and I hated the bad guy, Otto, who I was supposed to hate. I kept waiting for a horse to kick him where it counts.

The mystery layered in this book kept me turning pages because I too wanted to find out why Kurt’s friend got killed. I’m not going to spoil the book for readers because this mystery is unique with a fresh perspective on smuggling and I loved it. Set in Canada that grabbed me and I can’t wait to get my hands on Pettersen’s other book Color of My Horse. I loved that this is an Indie publication but honestly have no idea why a BIG publishing house didn’t swoop this book up. Pettersen is a three time Rita finalist – no easy feat – and anyone who read the first three chapters of this book had to be hooked! My gut feeling is those publishing houses that said no are crying now. Can’t wait to read more of Pettersen’s work.